By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
The Council of Churches in Sierra Leone has in a press release dated the 22nd June 2023 appealed to all Sierra Leoneans ahead of the elections to be peaceful as they exercise their civic responsibility on Saturday to do so without attracting violence or harm nor disrupt the process of voting on Election Day.
The council also noted the presence of international observers and National observers in helping the electoral commission for Sierra Leone in conducting free, fair and credible elections. The commission also commends the efforts of the electoral commission to adequately meet the challenges of the forthcoming election.
The commission further states that the 2023 multi-tier elections have had a few challenges such as the registration process and the late decision to employ the PR System for Parliamentary and Local Council elections, this the press release states that has led to citizens’ lack of knowledge of the system.
“Two months before the election date of the June 2023 elections, citizens are not fully au fait with the PRS”.
The council, therefore, is calling on all eligible voters to vote “Saful” and encouraging citizens to Pray, Advocate and Participate in the election by doing so peacefully.
The Council of Churches in Sierra Leone (CCSL) an ecumenical body of twenty-four member churches and eight affiliate churches was founded in 1924 and has been participating in election observation in the country dating from 1996, with support from donor partner Bread from Word (BftW) based in Germany.